FNCCC Week #4 - Alton Brown

Alton Brown has way too many recipes to choose from. I wanted to make The Chewy (as in chewy chocolate chip cookie - there was also The Puffy and The Crispy) which I will hopefully get done sometime soon. I chose Swedish Meatballs and I'm glad I did. These were great.

Swedish Meatballs
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
Serves: approximately 30 meatballs, 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
2 slices fresh white bread (I used wheat bread)
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided (I used evoo)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground pork (I used all beef)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used wheat flour)
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. (my over doesn't get down that low - only 300....I do have a warming drawer but have never used it)

Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.
In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. (I saw a recipe for Swedish meatballs that had you beat for 10 minutes, until smooth, to get a very soft meatball, I did this and they WERE very tender)

Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds. (no scale for me, just pinch and roll)

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

So what were you cooking? Enter the link to your post in Mr. Linky below! Next week's chef is
Anne Burrell .